Go outside.

I spend a whole lot of time at home these days. Sometimes I feel so antsy I don’t know what to do. A couple of days ago, I remembered what a good friend told me works for her: go outside.

So, I took another friend’s recommendation and drove out to Shields Herb & Flower Farm. There were so many beautiful vignettes in this place.

And, they are the kind of people who actually know plants. They helped me choose something for exactly the spot I needed, and I got to pick from multiple options.

I heard one very loud frog in the Lilly pond, but he didn’t stay still long enough for me to make a photo.

The experience was a mood changer. Beautiful plants make me happy, and so does seeing someone do something they’re good at really well.

I have to recommend that you take a look. And I hope you too come away feeling just a little bit better, as I did.

Fairmont's Home-Grown Revitalization

Several years ago I made a game of going around to nearby towns with my camera. I wrote a few “portrait of a small town” posts as a result, including this one about Fairmont. My photos reflected my mood at the time: I noticed a lot of sad, broken things.

Recently I was asked to take photos at Fairmont’s Hometown Market (my very first paid photo gig!), which is a new event put on by Mainstreet Fairmont. It was so uplifting to find a completely different energy from the last time I visited with my camera. This time around, the downtown felt positively vibrant.

The market was well-organized and well-attended. I could just feel how happy people were to be out and about.

There was beautiful produce and lots of home-grown plants.

Homemade baked goods, an ice cream truck, smoothies, and empanadas.

I couldn’t believe how many creative small businesses were showcasing their wares. Really well-done, niche goods, like homemade pet products, soaps, jewelry, pottery, and decor.

Can you believe the leaded glass in this building? It amazes me every time I see it.

Lots of local and WV-themed goods.

And just look at these onesies. I cannot resist a tiny baby tie-dye.

I just love that so many local people are clearly getting very creative in their spare time. Without this well-organized market, I’d never have known.

Inside the firehouse, the owner of a local flower shop had laid out hundreds of plants she was using to make 80 baskets to hang on the light posts downtown. She told me she is now carrying local pottery in her shop, which she fills with plants to sell. I love these types of symbiotic relationships.

So much has changed for the better in Fairmont since I last took photos there. There are multiple new businesses downtown, and lots of old buildings have been fixed up. The beautiful architecture that has existed for years looks charming and interesting again, rather than a sad reminder of better times gone by.

After working in the community development field for just three years, I can already see that the work is hard and slow. I therefore feel the need to take note and celebrate when people are able to band together to make the change they want to see.

This new market highlights all the work that so many people in Fairmont have been doing in the background for years. I like to think it’s also a harbinger of better days to come.

Black Bear Burritos' Fresh New Look

Closed for Covid

One thing that really struck me about the Covid-19 pandemic is just how universal its effect was. Bad or good, it changed something for virtually everyone. Here in Morgantown we lost an institution when Black Bear Burritos closed its original downtown location last winter. My friends and I watched our kids grow up in that place. For years, it was the only spot in town that offered tasty, healthy food, live music that drowned out the kids’ noise, AND delicious craft beer (which made us care a little less when our kids ran around like banshees, hid under benches, and shook the candy dispenser repeatedly while we ate our dinner).

Entrance Before

Lucky for us, Black Bear’s second location lives on across town. And while the closing of the original saddened many, many people, it also opened the door for something new. The owners decided to turn the extended closure caused by Covid into an opportunity for a refresh. Though the Evansdale restaurant was vibrant and successful in its own right pre-Covid, the “Before” pictures you see here show it in its take-out only phase, filled with much of the art and memorabilia they’d collected in 17 years downtown, as well as extra kitchen equipment, signs, and seating. Those of you who know me well can surely imagine my excitement when Jason and Matt told me earlier this year that I could help pick paint colors and move some art around. I could hardly wait to get started.

The first thing I did was to research what colors work best in restaurants. I found multiple articles (such as this one) about the psychology of colors and why and where they should be used. (Red and yellow make you want to eat fast and leave. Using green in a bar makes people feel ill. Orange makes you want to indulge.) Based on my research, I decided to keep the vibrant orange that was already behind the bar (Have another beer!) but bring in another color to tone it down a bit. I liked the idea of green, both because it’s in their logo and because it’s associated with fresh, healthy food. (While they’ve got enough meat and cheese to satisfy any carnivore (even weekly burger specials), they’re one of the few places here that offers plenty of veggies, plus beans, tofu, and jackfruit. I think that’s worth highlighting.)

Entrance Before, with test colors

I pride myself on my eye for color, so I surprised myself a little when I painted three shades of green on the walls and liked none of them. I returned to the Chestnut Brew Works Halleck poster that hangs in the bar area, which had been my original color palette inspiration, and then headed back to Lowes for more samples.

The second time was a charm: everyone liked the next round of greens. And so the refresh began. Fast forward several months, and I’ve since painted all but two walls in the restaurant, helped hang almost all the art, and added some paint and plants to the patio. It’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Along the way, I also designed a Black Bear sticker and photographed the entire menu for their new online ordering system. This is my first commercial gig, and let me tell you, I loved every minute of it.

I painted the walls at the entrance green to give it more of a presence. Jason hung four stained glass pieces from downtown in the windows and enlisted the help of the arborist who created the wall covering of circular wood cuts downtown to re-construct it on the first wall you see when you walk in. It really sets the tone. I like how the warm wood pops against the green backdrop.

I continued the green from that wall onto the two walls that lead to the counter where you place your order but left the orange on the low wall beside the booths for a nice contrast. I was pleasantly surprised by how much this change made both the bicycle tire lights (sponsored by Pathfinder) and the Eddie Spaghetti mural on the low wall stand out.

Jason had the idea of painting the big square pillar behind the counter turquoise, to tie into the accent wall we did across the restaurant. We hung the bold bear paw paintings created by Jason’s artist buddy Ryan Lincicome on the entrance wall and behind the counter and put an awesome new Eddie Spaghetti bike print on the pillar.

We filled the wall behind the bar with brewery signs and other bar-related kitch and switched out the booths for high-tops to create a more cohesive feel. I painted the wall at the far end of the bar area orange too, as well as the wall that wraps around into additional seating to designate that whole side of the restaurant as the “bar area.”

I also rehung some of the existing art, moving it down a bit to make the space feel more intimate.

We added a turquoise accent wall at the back and painted the wooden silhouette of musicians (by Roland Hunn) black to make it pop against the orange.

In the hall leading to the bathrooms, I hung all their awards and plaques on one wall and a collection of WVU-themed memorabilia on the other. I painted the doors to the bathrooms and offices black to hide dirt and add some contrast.

I painted both bathrooms green and the stalls black and added some art and mirrors.

I carried the green around behind the stage, and Jason had a new light installed to shine on the wall to the right, which will eventually hold local artists’ work.

Jason and Matt decided to incorporate what was once a private dining room into the rest of the restaurant by cutting a large window into the wall it shares with the larger space. I painted two of its walls a warm, glowing yellow and hung all the outdoor-themed artwork in that room together.

This was by far my biggest project to date. And while I certainly love doing houses, it’s pretty exciting to redo something that everyone in town can see. Want to check it out? Now you can. After a year of serving take-out only, Black Bear is finally back. Doors open for dine-in tomorrow, May 3.

I hope the new decor makes you love your burritos (and burgers and tacos and queso) even more.

Betsy and Kent's House: Before and After

When I walk by an interesting house at night, I can’t help glancing in the windows to see how it looks inside. I know some people think that’s wrong, but I’m just so curious. I often wish someone would offer me a tour. For those of you who feel the same, I bring you this virtual tour of my mom and step-dad’s new house renovation (which I photographed but did not decorate, aside from the occasional consult).

Exterior Before

For many years Mom and Kent have talked about building a house. They looked and looked for the right piece of property, but they just couldn’t find what they wanted. So instead of buying an empty piece of land, they bought a house just outside of town that abuts the rail trail and the river.

Exterior After

I must confess, when they first bought this place, I was not convinced. It’s fairly new construction, the finishes weren’t to my taste or theirs, and it didn’t have much character to speak of. But they had great vision, as well as the help of Jodyn, a truly talented builder who is also Kent’s son.

Entryway Before

Not only does Jodyn have great technical skills, but he brings his own creative ideas and sense of design. His craftsmanship is tight, which you can see here in the entryway stairs he completely transformed.

Entryway After

Living Room Before

They painted the interior walls throughout the entire house white, which used to be a no-no, but has come back in recent years.

Living Room After

Living Room After

They changed out fixtures in all the bathrooms and gave the kitchen a major overhaul.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Jodyn added an addition to the back of the house that extended the kitchen significantly and added a dining space beyond it. The addition is flanked on either side by porches, which are joined by a wraparound deck. Floor to ceiling windows and skylights make the space dramatic and amazingly bright.

New Addition

Exterior View of Addition

This is their retirement home, so naturally it has not only a hot tub, but also an outdoor kitchen with both a cooktop and a grill. They repurposed cabinets from the house’s original kitchen and painted them black.

Outdoor Kitchen and Hot Tub!

No retirement home would be complete without a designated bar area, right?

More kitchen cabinets were repurposed in the laundry room, this time painted a bright, cheery green. It almost makes laundry seem fun.

Laundry Room After

Jodyn custom-built this beautiful vanity for the powder room off the main entryway out of wood sawed by our multi-talented friend Daniel Raines.

Downstairs Powder Room

Den Before

Den After

Jodyn added floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves in the den, which give it a cozy library feel.

Den After

Side Entry

This side entry leads out to the detached garage on one side and to the hot tub on the other.

Mother-in-Law Suite Before

Shortly after the former owners built the house, one of their mothers became ill, so they turned their garage into an attached mother-in-law suite with a full kitchen, bedroom, and bath.

Mother-in-Law Suite After

Mom is now using that space as a studio and workout area. She wasted no time after retiring last year and immediately started painting, which she’s been too busy to do for years. She’s been experimenting with new techniques and has already produced several really great abstracts. And here I was worried she wouldn’t know what to do with herself after so many years of working.

Mother-in-Law Suite Bedroom After

Top-of-the-Stairs Nook Before

Top-of-the-Stairs Nook After

Upstairs they replaced carpet with hardwood that matches what’s downstairs. All the walls were painted white there too, and the doors black. The black doors are another thing I wouldn’t have believed until I saw it (though it is certainly a trend). Suddenly those inexpensive hollow doors look very sophisticated.

Front Bedroom Before

Front Bedroom After

Back Bedroom Before

Back Bedroom After

Upstairs Bath Before

Upstairs Bath After

In addition to switching out all the fixtures in the upstairs bath, they added a small round skylight that makes it seem as though there’s a light on all the time.

Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom After

Master Bedroom to Bath Before

Master Bedroom to Bath After

Master Bath Before

Master Bath After

Master Bath After

It’s truly an amazing space that only a few people have been able to see, thanks to this stupid pandemic. I know I’m not alone when I say this thing needs to end soon. We are all SO ready to come back together and christen this house with its very first (dare I say epic?) family party.

My House: Before and After

When the pandemic first hit, I felt a burst of creative energy. I painted walls, built a giant game of outdoor Jenga, and added my interpretation of barn art to my shed. I took Coban on photo walks and felt inspired.

Fast forward nearly a year, and several months have passed since I last felt like taking out my camera. But I did today because I decided to show you something I’ve been working on for 7.5 years: my house. I like nothing better than a good before and after. So here it goes.

Exterior Before, circa 2013

The house was white when I found it, like so many others in Morgantown. (I never really noticed that until a friend from Louisiana saw pictures once and asked if there’d been a sale on white paint.) Very cute, I thought, and in that bungalow style I’ve always liked.

Since then I had it painted, put on a new roof, and extended the garden all the way across the front. If you look closely, you can see that the mulch on the hill stopped awkwardly halfway across before. My neighbor gave me a few of the yellow flowers in the photo below, and they spread like crazy. Just what I need on a hillside that’s almost too steep to weed.

Exterior After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

The kitchen is probably the room I’ve changed the least in the whole house. I put in this new pendant light over the sink (and when I say me, I mean my kind friend Genesis) and painted the walls, but everything else is pretty much the same. I still like the maple Shaker cabinets, dated as they may be.

Dining Room Before

Kitchen to Dining Room After

The dining room brightened up quite a bit with new grey paint. The faux wallpaper was a Covid-era addition. Turns out I had a $3 sample paint in the basement that matched my recently painted green cabinet perfectly. I kept the silver pendant lights over the bar for years until I changed them out a couple years ago for slightly larger, more shapely red pendants.

Living Room Fireplace Before

Living Room Fireplace After

Living Room Fireplace After (before the logs got soaked with soot and leaking water)

The previous owners had modernized the fireplace by covering it in drywall and adding a new mantel, but it felt a little bare to me. It was just begging for some built-in shelves to flank it, as you often see in Craftsman bungalows. Luckily, my dad is an excellent woodworker, and he built them to fit.

For several years I filled the empty fireplace (no longer functional, sadly) with logs from a dead pear tree Dad cut down in my yard. But I took them all out when water and soot rained down on them several years back. The giant mirror I found in my childhood attic does a nice job of hiding the empty hole and reflects light from the window across the room.

Living Room Before

Living Room After

This living room is a good example of how a few changes can go a long way. I opened it up by making two seating areas—one facing the TV and another flanking the fireplace. I painted the walls grey and the staircase and baseboards white to match the rest of the trim. I tried to minimize the effect of the giant television (it came with the house) by hanging art all around it. I kept the existing curtain rod but moved it up and hung very long Ikea curtains that span from floor to ceiling.

Sunroom Before

Sunroom After

The sunroom stayed as it was for years until finally I painted it the same grey as the rest of the downstairs, which helped tie everything together. My stepdad and I installed laminate flooring last year after I impulsively ripped out all the carpet (that still smelled from my dog Roux, nearly 6 years after she died). Good thing too, as Coban and I are both using this room most days now for work and school. Rehanging the curtain rods and getting longer curtains made a huge difference here too.

Stairway Before

Stairway After

I decided to leave a “runner” of natural wood on the stairs because I know how scuffed painted stairs can look. Having the white along the side of the treads also helps ease the transition between the painted baseboard and railing and the unpainted stairs.

Coban’s Room Before

Coban’s Room After

One of the first things I did when I moved in was to hire contractors to install fake bead board on the ceilings upstairs, as well as new baseboards and trim around the windows. (I priced drywall too, but it was ungodly expensive.) The previous owners had done a lot of work downstairs, but the bedrooms still had drop ceilings with brown plastic pieces separating each tile, and there was no trim around the doors or windows. With new ceilings and trim, the existing paneling on the walls suddenly looked charming and cottagy.

My Bedroom Before

My Bedroom After

The biggest design issue in my room is that the window is not centered in its space. Once I hung curtains on either side, you can’t tell at all.

Bathroom Before

Bathroom After

I wanted to try a dark, dramatic bathroom look, and this one has enough natural light to pull it off. It came with gold fixtures, which is not what I’d choose, but I decided to keep them after I priced new towel racks and faucets. To make it work, I got a bunch of gold frames from junk stores and filled them with posters and art from calendars. I found a little chandelier for $10 at a flea market, which seemed fitting with the clawfoot tub and the “fancy” gold frames.

Bathroom Sink Before

Bathroom Sink After

I replaced the pedestal sink with an Ikea vanity, which offers a lot more storage and a place to set things down. I just couldn’t bring myself to buy a gold faucet and went with silver instead. I spray painted the towel racks to match and found the mirror at TJ Maxx for $25.

Back Porch Before

Back Porch After

When I moved in, the back porch (which is our main entry) was covered in astroturf. Its walls were clad in a mix of aluminum and vinyl siding that didn’t match the rest of the house. My stepdad and I ripped all that out and replaced the floor with deck boards. We put shakes on the walls and built a privacy screen at the back. Two new lights and a new mailbox, and voila. It may be a carport porch, but we use this space a LOT. It’s like having an extra outdoor room.

And there you have it. My house is pretty much done. I’d move to a new one if I could just to do it all again, but that’s not in the cards just yet. Which means I need new projects! I’ve got one big one in the works, which I’ll be sharing as soon as it’s finished. Stay tuned! (It’s pretty exciting.)

The Summer of Hiking: Monroe Run Trail

The first time my fast red car failed to start when I returned to it after driving to my destination without issue, I called a tow truck. The driver tested my battery and said it was fine. I turned the key again while he watched, and it started. I felt a little silly, and drove on home.

After it happened another time when I was twenty minutes outside of town, I took it to the shop. Several months and several hundred dollars later, the problem was still not fixed. So not only have I been stuck at home due to the pandemic, but I felt like I couldn’t do the only thing available (drive somewhere and explore outside) for fear of being stranded. I gave a little toast to the red car last Sunday (it was the first car I ever really loved), and I traded it the next day for a still sporty but sturdier model.

The elation I felt at being able to get in the car and go exploring reminds me a little of how it feels to be well again after being sick. You don’t realize how bad you felt until the contrast of feeling better comes along.

As I hiked on the Laurel Highlands Trail near Ohiopyle on Monday, I decided this should be the summer of hiking. When I got home, I drew a circle of 120 miles around my house and started researching new hikes. I’ve been on all the ones around here a thousand times.

Yesterday I decided to try one I found on this list called the New Germany Trail Loop, near New Germany State Park. I’d never been before, but since the hike had the same name as the Park, I figured I would either see a sign or consult a park map once I arrived.

Solo adventure tip number 1: Do not rely on the internet for directions. It worked just fine to get me to the park itself, but once there I had no service at all. (You may also have noticed that the list of recommended hikes I found provided no directions at all.)

The park had a beautiful lake with cabins nearby, but the maps did not list any of the hikes from the list. All the ones they did show were less than a mile long. I’d just driven 45 minutes, and I wanted to go some distance.

I saw a ranger drive by and followed his truck. Turns out he’d never heard of the New Germany Trail Loop, though he worked in New Germany State Park. He told me about the Monroe Run Trail about “5 minutes” away. I wondered as I drove if the ranger’s five minutes was the same distance as mine.

Turns out you have to go past New Germany State Park on 219N, then past the entrance to Savage River State Forest, and shortly after the shooting range and the correctional center (somehow this pairing seems odd?) is the sign for the Monroe Run Trail.

The trail’s beginning seems unremarkable. I soon wound my way down through the woods and found the stream that gives the hike its name. I stepped carefully on rocks for the first crossing, but soon gave up and just walked right through. The water felt deliciously cool on my feet and legs.

I probably crossed the stream at least ten times. The trail winds back and forth across it and doesn’t seem heavily traveled. Someone had been there with a chainsaw to clear the trees that blocked the path, but they didn’t make it very far.

Someone else long ago built these careful stone walls next to several sections of the stream, and I have no idea why.

The fact that I had to climb over or duck under as many tree branches as there were stream crossings added a little variety. Sort of the same appeal as those obstacle-filled running races, I thought, though I’ve never done one.

Nothing like spending several months in your house to make all the shapes and patterns in nature seem nothing short of amazing.

When I finished, I was really hungry. Solo adventure tip number 2: Bring more snacks!

I remembered a little cafe called Cornucopia a friend has raved about multiple times, and it turned out to be just a few miles away. They were open for takeout only though, and I didn’t feel like waiting 20 minutes for a meal I’d have to eat while sitting in my car. Luckily there was an ice cream truck not too far away.

I will confess that I have resisted these kinds of solo adventures for years, though I really don’t know why. It just doesn’t seem fun, I would tell myself when my other self suggested I just go it alone.

Maybe it’s the pandemic, maybe it’s the new car. Either way, I’m really happy that the independent adventurous self has finally won out.

Bamboo Art

At the back of our yard is a bamboo forest. Inside it are piles of brush, a broken metal fence that separates my lot from the neighbors,’ and whatever miscellaneous trash that’s found its way over the line. Kids love to play in it, and the bamboo does a great job of hiding the seemingly abandoned house behind ours.

As with all good things, there’s a downside. It’s incredibly invasive, as I’m sure you know.

This spring it’s infiltrating our yard and my new flowerbed. It’s asparagus-like shoots resist the chop of the weed-eater and seem undeterred by being routinely run over with the riding lawn mower.

Luckily I have a boy with a pocket knife. When he started cutting down the new shoots and slicing them apart, I couldn’t believe all the colors, patterns, and textures that were hiding inside.

I love a careful arrangement of objects, such as these photos of found ocean trash, organized by color, or Emily Blincoe’s various arrangements. There’s something so pleasing about them, I decided to make my own with all the bamboo parts Coban carved up.

Because at this point in the pandemic, I just want to look at something beautiful and forget for a while about everything that’s going on around me.

Focus on Color: Orange

My child has taken to hiding under a blanket on the couch while he does his schoolwork or reads a book on his Kindle. I think that says a lot about our mental state right now.

The first few weeks of quarantine made me feel creative. But after a while, a serious lack of motivation set in. I’ve had to dig deeper into my bag of coping skills. Good thing I grew up in the middle of no where. Self-entertainment is not unfamiliar territory.

Right now that looks like learning how to make dried chickpeas that taste amazing and picking up some new tricks from these free online cooking classes. This knife skills class inspired me to sharpen my knives, which led to a scary finger-slicing incident a couple days ago, but even so, I think it was worth it. My onion dice is so uniform! And really everyone should have a go at smashing ginger. It’s just plain fun.

Coban is so bored that he gave only the slightest resistance when I asked him to sort out the scrap wood I’ve been saving in the shed. It’s now been cut into uniform pieces, and I’ve got a new use for my large collection of sample paints. When we’re allowed to touch common surfaces again, we’re going to have our own version of this outdoor Jenga game to liven up our porch parties.

I don’t want to give the impression that it’s all positive productivity over here; I’ve also spent whole days on my couch not bothering to hit pause when Netflix rolls to the next episode. (If you’re at that sad point where you’ve finished all the good stuff you know to watch, read this for some inspiration. It’ll set you up for quite a while.)

It’s all part of this rollercoaster ride we’re on. I feel a little hopeful now because things may open back up soon. I don’t like to think too much about what that actually looks like or how it could go wrong. Uncertainty is the hardest thing. I guess all we can do right is wait and see.

Viewed in a Different Light

There is a scene in my mind from a book I read as a child. A boy steps outside his house and starts bouncing a bright red ball. His house is one in a line of identical houses, and every one has a small, identical boy standing outside, bouncing an identical red ball.

It’s dystopian, right? It’s a metaphor for what might become if things are left unchecked. This crisis feels like that to me too. Here in isolation where cases and deaths are relatively few compared to other places, there are moments where I forget what’s happening.

But it doesn’t take long before I am reminded. That back and forth in my mind feels so surreal.

I’ve read several articles that say this is a real opportunity. We can use this time to re-examine our systems (and our personal lives) and figure out how to make them work better. I like that idea. Maybe as a society, we will realize that it’s not only in times of crisis that people are made vulnerable from a lack of basic resources. Maybe all this will make it impossible to deny that trickle-down economics are a farce.

But that view is far from universal. Some people believe everything that’s been done in the name of keeping us safe is a slow, careful conspiracy to encroach on our civil liberties. (I am a fan of civil liberties. The only class I truly loved in law school was civil procedure; I wanted to mount a public campaign to tell people to say no if the police ever asked to search their house or car.) While I find it thought-provoking that this idea never occurred to me, I also find that explanation hard to believe.

It’s disconcerting though, to think that the very same, current world crisis is being viewed by different groups in such a completely different light. How to deal with that?

That news, plus the number of weeks this has gone on, added to the additional weeks it seems are yet to come, is hard to take. It starts to feel like this is never going to end.

Yet in my garden, the tulips are shedding petals, having passed their prime. The iris and the phlox are in bloom now, not missing a beat in the spring floral parade.

My herbs are greening. The allium are preparing to bloom.

What is it with the human mind, that despite all this evidence of constant change, I often feel like whatever is happening now is going to last FOREVER? I fight that fear a lot. Maybe you do too? I have to keep returning to the evidence-based, logical thought: nothing lasts forever. This too shall pass.

Downtown and a Drive-By

When Coban suggested another photo walk earlier this week, I felt a little panicky. What if we run out of colors? ROYGBIV is only so long, and we are already three colors in. I suggested we go downtown instead.

As you might have guessed, it didn’t have the same uplifting effect as going around photographing beautiful spring flowers. Our favorite restaurant is closed (RIP Tailpipes), and there are many new “For Rent” signs in the windows.

I’m so impressed with people who stick their necks out and open businesses in this country, generally; they’re wiling to take a risk that I can’t fathom. No health insurance? No guaranteed income? As a single mom, I just can’t.

But really, let’s be honest. I went to law school for a reason. I’m not exactly the most risk tolerant girl you’ve ever met. Yet even those who are probably aren’t prepared for something like this. NPR says that 25% of small businesses will go out of business after 30 days of this, and 50% will close after 90 days. The numbers are so grim.

And then last night our friends came by with handmade signs and serenaded us with accordion music. They did a whirlwind tour across town, stopping at multiple houses, so their boys could see all the friends they’ve missed these last few weeks.

These two events perfectly capture the emotional rollercoaster that is social distancing amid a pandemic. One minute I’m enjoying my alone time and the next I’m freaking out. It was nice to end the week on a high note.

Focus on Color: Pink

Over three weeks ago, when school was still in session, Coban got off the bus on a Friday wearing black shorts, a red hoodie, and the fuzzy Santa socks I bought him this year for Christmas. “I was feeling festive this morning,” he said. “Because one way to survive the Coronavirus is by having fun!”

Since then, he’s had three weeks of doing school from home. We aren’t really seeing people much, except occasionally outside, at a distance. Even this resilient, good-natured child is starting to feel the pain. He got quiet last night while we were making dinner, and I looked over and saw a big tear sliding down his cheek. Sundays are not our favorite day anyway, but they feel even harder right now.

He decided we needed to take another photo walk. I let him pick the color the last two times, but I suggested pink last night because it’s everywhere right now.

I got out a notepad and gave him a quick lesson in negative space and composition before we left. The thing is, he doesn’t really care much about the photos at this point. He was happy when I sent him one of his own shots to use as a background on his Chromebook after the first time we went, but he hasn’t looked at any of his photos again since then.

It’s really just being out there doing something that is helping him (and me) right now. What’s working for us with this particular project is that there are parameters. We have a specific goal in mind, and we can do it again next time but slightly differently. New day, new color.

We’ll run out of colors eventually of course. But I’m hoping it’s the kind of creative kickstart that leads to new and different things.

Even if it doesn’t, we both felt a lot better when we returned home last night. With the brevity of a nine-year old boy, he said, “I don’t feel stuck anymore.”

Focus on Color: Purple

It was about 4:30 pm yesterday when Coban grabbed both my shoulders and shook me as he gave a little faux scream. We both wondered why it wasn’t already time to either watch TV or go to bed.

He wanted to ride bikes around the neighborhood, but it was cold, and I’d already been on a run. Since I wouldn’t agree to anything else, he caved to my walk-with-camera suggestion.

About a half hour in, he said, Thanks for suggesting this. We’d just been barked at by some scary dogs and chased by some toddlers. We were having fun.

We looked for purple this time, obviously, and found it in so many tiny spring flowers. The irony of living through a very scary time but still being free to walk outside and take in all this fresh beauty.

I’m concerned about what is happening and what’s going to happen, of course. But I’m also really grateful for this unexpected, uninterrupted alone time with my child. And the fact that he may have finally found a way of making art that speaks to him.

Hi-Chew, anyone?